Jakarta—The Indonesian Ministry of Health, through the Health Development Policy Agency (BKPK), held a Consultative Meeting on Health Surveillance at National Entry Points to strengthen capacity for early detection and risk assessment of public health emergencies and emerging diseases in the ASEAN region. The two-day meeting (September 18–19) marked a strategic step toward cross-border collaboration under the ACPHEED Detection and Risk Assessment (DRA) framework.
Opening the online meeting, the Head of the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (BKPK), Prof. Asnawi Abdullah, emphasized the importance of points of entry (PoEs) as the frontline in addressing transnational health threats. "PoEs are not just crossing points, but also the first line of defense. Referring to the IHR (2005) and the strategic role of ACPHEED, we must be able to build a rapid, integrated, and collaborative risk detection and assessment system," he said.
The first day of the meeting featured a session on policies and practices for implementing surveillance at entry points, including air, sea, and land. Presentations from various technical units at the Ministry of Health, WHO Indonesia, and the ASEAN Biosurveillance Virtual Center (ABVC) demonstrated progress in integrating digital systems such as SINKARKES, All Indonesia, and various disease monitoring dashboards.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of interoperability across sectors and countries, including the need for strengthened regulations, training, and the development of a shared platform for risk data exchange. Participants from the Quarantine Health Offices (BKK and BBKK) presented their respective innovations, ranging from Risk-Based Assessment at Soekarno-Hatta and Ngurah Rai Airports, to the SMART Karkes system in maritime and land areas such as Tanjung Priok, Entikong, and other strategic border areas like Batam and Kupang, which play a crucial role in cross-border health surveillance in eastern and western Indonesia.
As a culmination, the World Café session presented an interactive discussion on four main topics: BKK's contribution to ACPHEED, ACPHEED's support for strengthening PoE, cross-border connectivity, and the ideal information system for BKK. The discussion generated various concrete inputs, including the importance of ACPHEED facilitating the establishment of a port-to-port communication network in the region, the development of a cross-border risk-based alert system, the development of a dashboard for an information repository for internal and public use, and the need for enablers such as human resources, infrastructure, and data exchange agreements.
This meeting is the first step towards ASEAN Consultative Meeting on IHR Capacity and Cross-Border Coordination for Points of Entry Surveillance planned for the final quarter of this year, as part of Indonesia and the ACPHEED DRA's efforts to strengthen health resilience in the region. (Author: Rita Ratna Puri, Editor: Center for Global Health Policy, Strategy, and Governance)
